Whitefish can thank the lake for becoming the town that it is today. When the Great Northern railroad was looking for a division point, the townsite of Whitefish was chosen back in in the early 1900s specifically because of the practical purposes of abundant water that could be utilized by steam engines.
Railroad workers cut the first trees for the townsite and by April 14, 1905 the county commissioners declared the Town of Whitefish to be incorporated after an affirmative vote by local residents.
Residents and visitors alike soon discovered that this same lake that provided the practical resource of powering steam engines, was also great place for fishing, boating and having fun.
And so began the town’s first marriage of prudent practicality and exuberant fun that has lasted all of these years.
It becomes evident to visitors when strolling the town’s Central Avenue, with its hardware store, watering holes and shoe shop, blending easily with the toy store, handmade chocalatier, coffee shop with beans roasted locally and brewery.
Whitefish is a special place where the residents work hard and play hard, always striving for the balance — and never finding enough time for the latter.
It is the hardworking men and women who still make up the backbone of Whitefish. But when the snow falls deep and light overnight, folks around here feel no angst about putting a “gone skiing” sign on their door to spend a few hours whooping it up, making tracks down the powdered ski slopes overlooking town. This is what makes the soul of the town. We’re actually not a ski town, we are a town of skiers.
The ski mountain itself got its start because of the yin and yang of work and fun so wired into the DNA of Whitefish. In the early years, when the new ski operation above town was out of cash, it was the town’s people who took up the collection plate, hit up their compatriots and rallied to raise the money needed to give a new lease on life to a business called fun. Over a half a century later, Whitefish Mountain Resort has become one of the top 20 mountain resorts in North America, according to Ski Magazine.